WASHINGTON OFFICE 

1605 LoNGWORTH HOB 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515 

(202) 225·8045 

FAx: (202) 225·9073 

CHULA VISTA OFFICE 

333 F STREET, SUITE A 

CHULA VISTA, CA91910 

(619) 422·5963 

FAx: (619) 422·7290 

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Secretary Anthony Foxx 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 

Washington, DC 20590. 

Dear Secretary Foxx, 

1Juau Jargas 

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May 13,2014 

COMMITTEE ON fOREIGN AFFAIRS 

MIDDLE EAsT AND NoRTH AFRICA 

TERRORISM, NONPROLIFERATION, AND TRADE 

CoMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 

GENERAL FARM COMMODITIES AND 

RISK MANAGEMENT 

HoRTICULTURE, ResEARCH, BIOTECHNOLOGY 

AND FOAEIC>N AGRICULTURE 

COMMITTEE ON HoUSE ADMINISTRATION 

•....... , .. 

I write to express my concerns with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Tentative Order to 

terminate the Essential Air Service (EAS) program in Ei Centro, California located in the 

Imperial County portion of the 51st Congressional District, which I represent. I understand the 

Department's order intends to implement the reforms included in the "Federal Aviation 

Administration Modernization and Reform Act," which requires subsidized communities to 

maintain an average of 10 passenger enplanements per service day in order to remain in the EAS 

program. However, as you draft the final order, I urge you to consider the circumstances that 

contributed to Imperial County Airport's unique year in which they were unable to meet the 10 

enplanement average by 0.5 passengers. Furthermore, I ask that you consider the detrimental 

economic impacts that may occur as a result of terminating the program. 

The Imperial County Airport has a tremendous track record of surpassing the EAS program 

requirements put forth by the government. According to the Department of Transportation, the 

Imperial Valley Airport dramatically exceeded the enplanemcnt minimum in four of the last five 

years. Beginning in FY 2009 and ending in FY 2012, the airport logged in 16, 17.7, 20, and 20.7 

enplanements, respectively. Unfortunately, in FY 2013, the Imperial County Airport barely fell 

below the ten enplanement threshold, by reaching 9.5 enplanements for the first time. 

During FY 2013, Imperial County residents were forced to adapt to a change in EAS service 

carriers and adjust to new routes. The Imperial County Airport was served by SkyWest United 

until Apri12013. During that time, flights were operated to Los Angeles International Airport 

(LAX), which greatly benefitted passengers because LAX is one of the largest airports in the 

United States. Furthermore, United's service included interline agreements with a diverse group 

of airlines which enabled passengers to connect to a large number of domestic and international 

cities. 
In May 2013 the Department selected Seaport Airlines as the new EAS carrier. Their service 

replaced flights to LAX with service to large-hub San Diego International Airport (SAN) and 

Burbank's Bob Hope Airport (BUR), a medium-hub airport north of LAX. Despite the 

advantage ofhaving access to two airports, this federally mandated service attracted fewer 

passengers because it is flown on a smaller aircraft, and Seaport did not initially have interline 

agreements in place to allow passengers to transfer at SAN and BUR to other airlines. In 

addition, SAN and BUR offer fewer connecting opportunities than LAX, because fewer airlines 

and routes are served from SAN and BUR. As you might imagine, all these changes were 

contributing factors to a temporary decline in daily enplanements. 

Lastly, in addition to considering the unique factors impacting the Imperial County community 

in FY 2013, I ask that you consider revisiting the way in which enplanements are averaged. 

Rather than look at a community's average enplanements on an annual basis, I urge the 

Department of Transportation to consider the average enplanements over the last three fiscal 

years to truly gauge the community's activity and needs. This more comprehensive approach 

would ensure that communities encountering a temporary challenge would continue to be 

eligible for the EAS program. 

As you know, the Essential Air Service was put into place to guarantee that small communities, 

including those within the Imperial County, continue to be served by certificated air carriers. 

Over the last several years, Imperial County has experienced the highest unemployment rate in 

the nation and I believe that we should work together to encourage economic growth, and 

consider all factors before terminating a much-needed program in the region. Thank you for 

your time and kind consideration of my request. Should you have any questions, please feel free 

to contact my Legislative Director, Janine Pairis at (202) 225-8045.